Cigarette carton with pack separator

ABSTRACT

A cigarette pack spacer is provided for spacing and protecting smaller than standard size cigarette packs in a standard carton. The spacer is in the form of a molded plastic insert extending along the center of the carton separating the two adjacent rows of five packs each and also the adjacent packs of each row from one another. Towards this end, the spacer includes a central panel of five contiguous sections each being cored and also rounded at its top to facilitate insertion of the spacer between the packs. At the juncture of adjacent sections is a pair of oppositely extending ribs shorter in height but also rounded at their top for ease of insertion of the spacer.

[ 1March 20, 1973 I54] CIGARETTE CARTON WITH PACK SEPARATOR [75]Inventor: Carl C. Grant, Louisville, Ky.

[73] Assignee: Brown 8: Williamson Tobacco Corporation, Louisville, Ky.

[22] Filed: Aug. 24, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 66,320

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 543,842 7/1957 Canada ..229/15 PrimaryExaminer-Leonard Summer Attorney-Kane, Dalsimer, Kane, Sullivan andSmith [57] ABSTRACT A cigarette pack spacer is provided for spacing andprotecting smaller than standard size cigarette packs in a standardcarton. The spacer is in the form of a molded plastic insert extendingalong the center of the carton separating the two adjacent rows of fivepacks each and also the adjacent packs of each row from one another.Towards this end, the spacer includes a central panel of five contiguoussections each being cored and also rounded at its top to facilitateinsertion of the spacer between the packs. At the juncture of adjacentsections is a pair of oppositely extending ribs shorter in height butalso rounded at their top for ease of insertion of the spacer.

3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEDHARZOIQYS 3,721,335

SHEET 2 BF 2 Mai Q INVENTOR 642/ c. 6 emu BY ("1M M 4 .W

ATTORNEYS CIGARETTE CARTON WITH PACK SEPARATOR BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION Within the recent past, long slim or thin cigarettes havebecome increasingly popular with the smoking public. The advent of suchcigarettes has given rise to certain problems inherent in the reducedtransverse dimensions of the cigarette packs. First of all, there is thematter of cartoning of these smaller packs. For marketing, shelf displayand other reasons, the trade has elected to place the packs in standardsize cartons containing ten packs arranged in two adjacent rowsextending the length of the carton. Secondly, the individual packs arerequired to bear tax stamps pursuant to state laws. The stamping isgenerally applied by wholesalers or distributors in the respectivestates by stamping machines of known and conventional construction. Suchmachines have been designed to handle and process standard size cartonsand tax stamp standard size packs. It has been found that modificationof such machines or perhaps supplying supplemental machines for handlingcartons containing the smaller packs would entail an intolerable capitalinvestment. In order for the presently employed tax stamping machines toproperly stamp the smaller packs, the packs must be spaced and orientedin the carton in a certain fashion otherwise the stamping elements willnot properly register with the bottom of the individual packs on whichthe tax stamp mark is applied.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Thus, the principal object of the presentinvention is to provide a centrally located insert for separating thepacks of cigarettes in a carton and hold them therein snugly andsecurely against movement to not only assure the protection of the packsbut also to cooperate in obtaining proper registration of the stampingelements of tax stamping machinery with the bottom of the individualpacks in the carton.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the followingdetailed description which is to be taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a carton containing cigarettepacks spaced from one another and oriented in the carton by a packspacer for registry of the packs with marking elements of tax stampingmachinery and the carton being shown in an upright position with the topthereof being in an open condition;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the carton containing packs that areseparated and protected by the centrally located pack spacer;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 33 of FIG.2; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 44 of FIG.2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the drawings, a standard sizecarton is adapted to receive 10 smaller than standard size cigarettepacks 12 arranged in two rows of five packs each and a pack spacer 14which serves to protect the packs and separate them in predeterminedfashion to permit the bottoms to be marked with tax stamps by taxstamping machinery. In accordance with one successful embodiment of theinvention, the carton 10 is approximately I0 34 inches long, 1 13/16inches wide and 4 inches high. The packs 12 are designed to contain thecommercially known slim cigarettes which are mm. long. The pack 12possesses a length of approximately 2 inches, a width of approximately13/16 inches and a height of approximately 4 inches. In the illustratedembodiment, the carton 10 is upright with its top open and the packs 12are inverted to expose at the top the pack bottoms 16 to the stampingmachine. As will be appreciated, the transverse dimensions of the packs12 are not sufficient to enable the packs to take up all of theavailable space afforded by the carton 10.

Referring now to the spacer 14, it will be readily apparent that itspaces and positions the packs 12 not only for tax stamping purposes butalso to take up the excess room in the carton 10 so that the packs 12are snugly arranged therein. Towards this end, the spacer 14 includes acentral panel 18 divided into five contiguous sections 20. Each sectionis cored centrally to provide openings 22. In addition, these sections20 include a substantially straight base 24, a pair of upstanding legs26 and 28 terminating in an arcuate or substantially hemispherical top30 to facilitate the receipt and accommodation of the packs 12. At thejuncture between adjacent sections 20 is a pair of oppositely extendingand substantially normal ribs 32 and 34. Each rib is provided with asubstantially straight base 26, an outer vertically extending edge 38and an upper arcuate edge 40 which once again, facilitates the insertionof the spacer 14 between packs 12. In this connection, the spacer 14together with packs 12 may be either automatically or manually insertedinto the interior of the carton 10 together or separately and if thelatter procedure is followed, it is preferred that the insert 14 beinserted into the carton 10 first with the arcuate edges thereofpointing upwardly so that the insert 14 will rest within the carton 10and be maintained in a substantially erect vertically extendingdirection in view of the substantially flat and straight lower edgesthereof. The carton blank can be erected around the ten packages ofcigarettes in a mode of packaging well known in the art and eithersimultaneously therewith or thereafter the spacer 14 may be disposedbetween the packs in the carton. Depending upon the selected manner ofassembling the packs within the carton, the spacer 14 may be oriented asshown in the drawings or upside down from that depicted therein.

The insert 14 may be formed of any one of several materials includingknown plastics such as 5 polyethylene, polystyrene or the like.

Thus, it will be apparent from the foregoing that the present inventionpermits the utilization of standard size cartons" in accommodatingsmaller than standard size cigarette packs and, at the same time,assures the proper spacing and disposition of such packs in thesecartons through the utilization of the centrally located spacer 14 inorder to facilitate the proper placement and registry of tax stampmarking as applied by existing tax stamping machinery.

Although a single somewhat preferred embodiment of the invention hasbeen disclosed and described in detail herein, it should be understoodthat this invention is in no sense limited thereby and its scope is tobe determined by that of the appended claims.

I claim: 1. A cigarette carton defining an elongated enclosure which isnormally adapted to receive a quantity of standard size cigarette packsarranged upright therein in two co-extensive rows with the packs in eachrow extending in side-by-side alignment and being paired with acorresponding pack in the other row, the packs in each pair being inside-surface-to-side-surface abut ment,

said carton being dimensioned so as to encircle snugly said quantity ofstandard size packages when received in said carton, in combinationwith,

an equal quantity of smaller than standard size cigarette packs receivedin said carton in predetermined positionings therein,

and means for holding said smaller than standard size cigarette packssnugly and in spaced apart relation within said carton and to preventlongitudinal lateral movement of said smaller than standard size packsfrom said positionings, said means including a centrally located moldedplastic spacer removably received in said carton and comprising,

a relatively thin panel extending substantially lengthwise of the cartonand disposed between the adjacent rows of packs and comprised of fivesections, each of the sections having a top and bottom and the topsbeing arcuate to facilitate the relative insertion of the spacer betweenthe rows of packs,

laterally extending ribs extending integrally from opposed sides of saidpanel at the juncture of each section for disposition between adjacentpacks of each row whereby the packs are spaced from each otherlongitudinally by the ribs to hold such packs longitudinally in saidpredetermined positionings with said central panel spacing the packs ofeach row outwardly against the surfaces of the carton to complete thepredetermined positionings of said packs within the carton,

and means on each of said section and ribs for facilitating theinsertion of the spacer between the packs.

2. The invention in accordance with claim 1 wherein each of the sectionsis cored.

3. The invention in accordance with claim 3 wherein each of the ribs hasa top and bottom and the tops of the ribs being arcuate to facilitaterelative insertion of the ribs between the packs of each row.

1. A cigarette carton defining an elongated enclosure which is normallyadapted to receive a quantity of standard size cigarette packS arrangedupright therein in two co-extensive rows with the packs in each rowextending in side-by-side alignment and being paired with acorresponding pack in the other row, the packs in each pair being inside-surface-to-side-surface abutment, said carton being dimensioned soas to encircle snugly said quantity of standard size packages whenreceived in said carton, in combination with, an equal quantity ofsmaller than standard size cigarette packs received in said carton inpredetermined positionings therein, and means for holding said smallerthan standard size cigarette packs snugly and in spaced apart relationwithin said carton and to prevent longitudinal lateral movement of saidsmaller than standard size packs from said positionings, said meansincluding a centrally located molded plastic spacer removably receivedin said carton and comprising, a relatively thin panel extendingsubstantially lengthwise of the carton and disposed between the adjacentrows of packs and comprised of five sections, each of the sectionshaving a top and bottom and the tops being arcuate to facilitate therelative insertion of the spacer between the rows of packs, laterallyextending ribs extending integrally from opposed sides of said panel atthe juncture of each section for disposition between adjacent packs ofeach row whereby the packs are spaced from each other longitudinally bythe ribs to hold such packs longitudinally in said predeterminedpositionings with said central panel spacing the packs of each rowoutwardly against the surfaces of the carton to complete thepredetermined positionings of said packs within the carton, and means oneach of said section and ribs for facilitating the insertion of thespacer between the packs.
 2. The invention in accordance with claim 1wherein each of the sections is cored.
 3. The invention in accordancewith claim 3 wherein each of the ribs has a top and bottom and the topsof the ribs being arcuate to facilitate relative insertion of the ribsbetween the packs of each row.